


Captive

by machtaholic (cinderella81)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Background Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Captivity, Episode: s02e14 The Fair Folk, First Kiss, First Time, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-11 17:49:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11719404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinderella81/pseuds/machtaholic
Summary: Set during "The Fair Folk", instead of the game, the Seelie Queen has something else in mind.  Jace ends up in the Seelie realm for one mundane week, which is the equivalent of seven years in the Seelie realm.  He returns much changed and with only vague memories of his time before the Seelie realm.As he recovers and the memories return and the nightmares start, he finds himself drawn to Simon.





	Captive

“Your Majesty,” Jace said, “with your permission we should get going.”  
  
“But you’ve only just arrived.”

The Seelie Queen’s calculating and deceptively charming smile made Jace’s blood run cold.  He knew it was dangerous going to the Seelie realm, but he’d hoped they’d all make it out unscathed.

Jace’s hope faded as the Seelie Queen giggled.

“Your Majesty,” Clary said.

“I will help you, provide you with the information you seek,” the Seelie Queen said.

Jace waited for the terms - nothing came for free from the Seelie Queen.  Everything had a price.  “Thank you, Your Majesty,” he said, bowing low.

“But,” the Seelie Queen continued, “I would like for one of Valentine’s experiments to stay with me for a time.  One mundane week.”

Jace glanced over to where Simon and Clary were standing, could see Clary’s eyes welling up, probably thinking about leaving Simon for a week’s time.

“Your Majesty,” Jace said.  “I will gladly provide you with companionship for one mundane week.”  He could hear the gasps behind him from both Simon and Clary.

“Jace!” Clary said.

“Wonderful,” the Seelie Queen said, clapping happily.  “You may take a moment to say your goodbyes.”

Jace turned and stepped over to Simon and Clary.

“Jace, you can’t,” Clary said.

“I know what I’m signing up for,” Jace said, “and you don’t.  Just, tell Alec something for me.”

“Anything,” Clary said.

“Tell him to remember the bond, to concentrate on the bond,” Jace said.

“But it’s just a week,” Simon said, clearly confused.

“It’s more than -” Jace started.

“Your time is up,” the Seelie Queen called.  “Clary and the Daylighter must leave.  Jace Herondale, you will stay.”

“See you in a week,” Simon said, giving Jace a little wave.

“Be safe,” Clary said softly.  “I’ll tell Alec what you said, promise.”

Jace nodded and watched as Clary and Simon left the Seelie Court, headed back for the Institute.

“Now then, Jace Herondale,” the Seelie Queen said as she walked in a slow circle around Jace, “whatever shall we do to pass the time?”

* * *

“What happened?” Alec said when Clary returned to the Institute with Simon instead of Jace.

“The Seelie Queen,” Clary said, “said she’d help us but -”

“She wanted to keep one of Valentine’s experiments for a week,” Simon said.

“Jace asked me to relay a message to you,” Clary said.  “Jace said to remember the bond, to concentrate on the bond.”

“Tell me exactly what the Seelie Queen said,” Alec said.  “You said a week, but what exactly did she say?”

“One mundane week,” Simon said.  “The Seelie Queen said one mundane week.”  Simon jumped as Alec threw his glass against a wall.

“Time runs differently in the Seelie realm,” Alec said, running a hand over his face.  “Any longer than a couple of hours and time … slows.”

“So, how long is Jace really going to be gone for?” Clary asked.

“One week our time?” Alec said.  “About seven years in the Seelie realm.”

“Shit,” Simon whispered.

“I need to go talk to Jace’s grandmother, and try to get a hold of Meliorn,” Alec said.  “We need to prepare for what might happen when get Jace back from the Seelie realm.”

As Alec disappeared down a hallway, Simon turned to Clary and wrapped her in a hug.

“Maybe it won’t be so bad?” Clary murmured.

“Guess all we can do is hope,” Simon replied.

* * *

The further into the week they got, the tenser Alec became.  He was short with everyone and only Magus and Izzy could keep him calm.  The parabatai bond was strained and everyone knew to give Alec a wide berth.

When the summons arrived at the Institute to go to the Seelie realm to return Jace to the mundane world, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“The Seelie Queen requests Jace Herondale’s Parabatai and the Daylighter appear before her to return Jace Herondale to the mundane world.”  Izzy read the invitation and frowned.

“Whatever, so long as Jace comes back,” Alec said.  “Go get Simon - we’ll leave as soon as he’s here.”

When Simon arrived at the Institute, Alec was pacing back and forth in his office.

“The Seelie Queen wants me with you?” Simon asked.

“Yes and I don’t want to give her any reason to not give Jace back,” Alec said.  “So let’s go.”

Once in the Seelie realm, Simon followed Alec to the Seelie Court, his stomach in knots the closer they got.  He jumped when the Seelie Queen suddenly appeared before him and Alec.

“Alexander Lightwood,” the Seelie Queen said, “and Daylighter.  Welcome back to the Seelie Court.”

“We’re here to collect Jace, Your Majesty,” Alec said.

“Of course you are,” the Seelie Queen replied.  “I return his stele to you, Mr. Lightwood.”

Simon jumped as a Seelie appeared almost out of nowhere and passed a stele to Alec.

“Many thanks, Your Majesty,” Alec said.  “If we could please collect Jace.”

“Of course,” the Seelie Queen said.  She spun around and clapped her hands.  “Jace, my pet!  Come, your time to return home has arrived.”

A few minutes later, a figure appeared next to the Seelie Queen and Simon gasped quietly.

“My Queen?”  Jace practically skipped over to the Seelie Queen’s side.  

Alec watched his friend closely.  He looked like … like a Seelie.  His hair was long, midway down his back, and it was decorated with feathers and leaves and finished with a flower crown.  He was thinner, much thinner, and wore the same leather corset-like top, trousers and boots as the other Seelie males.

“Jace?” Simon whispered.

“Jace,” Alec said.  “It’s time to go home.”

“Home,” Jace repeated, his gaze unfocused.

“That’s right, my pet,” the Seelie Queen said.  “Our time together has come to an end.  You must return to your world.”

“I must leave you, my Queen?” Jace said.

“Jace,” Alec said.  “Do you remember the message you passed to me?  Remember the bond?”  Alec lifted his shirt and ran his stele over his Parabatai rune, watching as Jace practically jumped.

“Alec?” Jace blinked and his gaze focused on Alec and Simon.  “Alec? … Simon?”

“Jace,” Alec said, relief clear in his voice.  “It’s time to go home.”

“I’ll be sad to see you go, pet,” the Seelie Queen said, pressing a kiss to Jace’s cheek.  “I did so enjoy our time together.  But a promise is a promise.  Off you go now.”

Jace stumbled as he made his way from the Seelie Queen’s side to where Alec and Simon were standing.

“Alec,” Jace said.  “It’s been -”

“I know,” Alec said, wrapping Jace in a hug.  “A long time for you.”

“We really should leave,” Simon whispered, “before she changes her mind.”

“Simon,” Jace said, glancing over in Simon’s direction and squinting at him.

“That’s me,” Simon said.

“Why?”

“I have no idea,” Simon replied honestly.  “But the Seelie Queen wanted me to join Alec to come get you, so here I am.”

Alec released Jace from the hug, passed Jace his stele and took Jace’s hand in his.  “Let’s go,” he said and practically dragged Jace from the Seelie Court, leaving Simon to follow and keep up.  Once they were back in Central Park, Alec finally stopped and wrapped Jace in another hug.

“I’m okay,” Jace whispered, “I think.”

“We’ll go back to the Institute and -”

“No,” Jace replied, taking a step back.

“Why not? It’s your home,” Simon asked.

“I was clearly down there for a long time,” Jace said.  “I forgot a lot.  A lot.  I only really remembered Alec because of the bond.  I can remember … Izzy?  And a warlock.  And you, a Daylighter.”

“Simon.”

“Simon,” Jace repeated slowly.  “Everything is fuzzy, muddled.  I can’t jump back in and go back to the way it was before.”

“I’ll send a text to Clary and Izzy and we’ll go to Magnus’,” Alec said.

“I know Izzy,” Jace said slowly, “your sister.  Who is Clary?”

“Another Shadowhunter,” Alec said before Simon could say anything.  “You two knew each other before.  It’s okay, Jace.”

“Okay,” Jace said, pulling his hair over his shoulder and playing with the ends as Alec sent off a couple of texts.

“Magnus is getting the guest room ready for you, Jace,” Alec said.  “We can go there now.”

“Magnus,” Jace said, looking up and smiling at Alec.  “Your lover.”

Simon coughed and ducked his head when Alec glared at him.

“My boyfriend, yes,” Alec said.

“I’m so pleased you found love, Alec,” Jace said, giving Alec a hug.

“Um, thanks,” Alec said.  “Simon, go back to the Institute and let everyone know we have Jace.  Tell them that I’ll come in tomorrow for a full briefing, but just tell them Jace needs to recuperate.”

“The less said the better, got it,” Simon said.  “Um, it’s good to have you back, Jace.”

Jace gave Simon a small nod before letting Alec drag him to Magnus’ flat.

“My my my,” Magnus said when he saw Jace.  “Time has certainly changed you, Jace.”

“Magnus,” Alec said, pressing a chaste kiss to Magnus’ cheek as he tugged Jace inside.

“I have the guest room all set up,” Magnus said.  “I also took the liberty of conjuring some pajamas for Jace to change into.  Although, perhaps he’d like a shower first.”

“A shower would be nice,” Jace said.

“Let’s  … um … can we dispense with the feathers and leaves and flowers?” Alec asked, looking pointedly at Jace’s hair.

“The Seelie Queen loves my -” Jace stopped and glanced sheepishly at Alec and Magnus.  “Yes, we can remove the decorations.”

Magnus nodded solemnly and led the way to guest room.  “Please, sit,” Magnus said, motioning to the vanity in the corner of the room.

Jace crossed the room and sat down, blinking a bit blankly at his reflection.

“It’s okay,” Magnus whispered to Alec.  “He was gone for a long time.  He needs time to recuperate, to recover who he was.”  He pressed a kiss to Alec’s cheek before stepping behind Jace and smiling at him in the mirror.

Alec stood in the doorway and watched his boyfriend with Jace.

“Why don’t we hang the wreath to dry and we can press the leaves and feathers in a book so you can keep them?” Magnus suggested as he carefully removed everything from Jace’s hair.

“I’d like to keep them,” Jace admitted.

“Wonderful, that’s what we’ll do then,” Magnus said as he worked.

“I was gone for a long time?” Jace asked.

“Seven mundane days,” Alec said.  “But seven years in the Seelie realm.”

“I must seem very different,” Jace murmured.  “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Alec said softly.  “We’re just glad you’re back.”

“Why don’t you go shower,” Magnus said, patting Jace on the shoulder.  “When you come back, we’ll brush your hair and you can sleep.”

“Okay,” Jace said. He stood and almost glided to the bathroom with an elegance he’d not had before.  At the door to the bathroom, he glanced over his shoulder at Alec and Magnus.

“We’ll be right here,” Magnus promised.  “Go on, it’s fine.”

When the bathroom door closed, Magnus reached for Alec and wrapped him in a hug.

“You’re good with him,” Alec whispered, his face pressed to Magnus’ shoulder.

“He needs a bit of coddling right now,” Magnus said.  “A gentle touch.  And while we both know you can be gentle when the situation calls for it -”

Alec chuckled and lifted his head, kissing Magnus sweetly.

“- Jace needs coddling right now,” Magnus finished.  “Think of him like a child, seeing the world for the first time.”

“Thank you for helping me with him,” Alec said.  “He remembered me and Izzy, had a vague memory of you and remembered Simon, for reasons I don’t understand.  But other than that, the rest of his memories are muddled.”

“The Seelie realm will do that,” Magnus said.  “Wash everything away until all that remains is the Seelie Queen and her Court.”

“But we can fix it?” Alec asked.  “Help Jace find who he was before?”

“It won’t be easy,” Magnus said.  “But I think it’s doable.”

“Thank you,” Alec said again.

“Jace is your Parabatai, your brother,” Magnus said.  “Of course I would help him.”

Before Alec could comment further, the bathroom door opened and Jace stood in the doorway, towel wrapped around his waist, wet hair hanging around his face.

“The water was nice and warm, thank you,” Jace said.

“You’re quite welcome,” Magnus said.  “Why don’t you get dressed and then we’ll do something with your hair.”

Jace nodded and padded further into the room, giving Alec a small smile as he lifted the pajamas off the bed and began to get dressed.

“You’re my brother,” Jace said to Alec.

“Of a sort,” Alec replied.  “We’re Parabatai, bound together - almost closer than brothers.”

“Were we ever lovers?  You’re very attractive,” Jace said as he finished getting dressed.

Alec coughed and shook his head.  “No,” he said, “we were never lovers.  You had your fair share of women sharing your bed.  And I have Magnus now.”

“Ah,” Jace said as he padded back to the vanity and sat down.  “What about that Daylighter?  Simon, I think his name was?  He’s got a lovely air about him.”

Magnus chuckled and moved behind Jace, reaching for a comb.  “That he does, doesn’t he?” he said before Alec could say anything.  “You and Simon are a bit like oil and water, fighting at every turn.”

“Pity,” Jace said.

“This is unreal,” Alec whispered, flinching when he saw Jace’s face fall.  “I’m sorry, Jace.  You’re just … different than when you left.  I guess we all need an adjustment period.”

“Don’t mind Alexander,” Magnus said as he began to comb the tangles from Jace’s hair.  “He doesn’t mean it.”

“I’m sorry I’m different,” Jace whispered.

“I’m sorry,” Alec said.  “It was only seven days for me, but it was longer for you.  I keep forgetting that and I’m sorry.”

Jace gave Alec a small smile in the mirror.  “We’ll figure it out,” Jace said.

“And so you will,” Magnus said.  “How about a braid?  Would hate for this to get tangled while you sleep.”  A quick nod from Jace and Magnus was working quickly, braiding Jace’s hair back.

“Thank you, Magnus,” Jace said.  “I’m really tired - it’s been an eventful day.”

“So it has,” Magnus said, patting Jace on the shoulder before heading to the door, dragging Alec with him.  “Alec and I are going to go sleep as well.  We’re just on the other side of the living room if you need anything, okay?”

Jace smiled and nodded.  “Goodnight,” he said.

“Goodnight Jace,” Alec said softly. “I’m really glad you’re back.”

Magnus closed the guest room door and led the way to their room, where he and Alec changed and climbed into bed.  Magnus smiled smiled when Alec wrapped himself around Magnus, his head on Magnus’ chest.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Alec whispered.

“Of course you can, Alexander,” Magnus said, stroking Alec’s hair.  “He is your brother and you have him back.  He’s a little different, but he is still family.”

“It’s not going to be easy,” Alec murmured.

“No, it won’t,” Magnus said.  “But the good things are worth fighting for.”  He pressed a soft kiss to Alec’s hair.  “Get some sleep, Alexander, there is a lot of work ahead of us.”

* * *

When Jace woke the next morning, sunlight filtering through the curtains, he momentarily forgot where he was.  He sat up in bed and stretched a bit, taking a few moments to reacquaint himself with his surroundings.

He noticed the breakfast tray and clothes at the end of the bed and frowned.

“Alec had to go to the Institute and Magnus thought you would like to see a familiar face.”

Jace jumped a bit and looked for the owner of the voice, smiling when he saw Meliorn standing in the corner of his room.

“Meliorn.”  Jace slid out of bed and crossed the room, wrapping Meliorn in a hug.  “I have missed you.”

“Izzy would like to come visit with you today,” Meliorn said.  “She missed you.”

“Izzy,” Jace said.  “I’d like to see her.”  He smiled and leaned into Meliorn’s touch when Meliorn cupped his cheek.

“But first, some breakfast,” Meliorn said, motioning to the tray at the end of the bed.  “I believe Alec asked for something high protein for you, something about getting your weight back up.”

Jace padded back over to the bed and stared down at the tray - the food wasn’t the Seelie food he’d become accustomed to.  He wrinkled his nose and perched on the end of the bed, picking at the food a bit.

“You remember me from before?” Jace asked as he tried to eat.

“I do,” Meliorn replied.

“Am I very different now?” Jace asked.

“You are,” Meliorn said.  “I admit, as nice as this is, and as much as I enjoyed our visits together in the Seelie realm, I miss the other Jace a bit.  The one who was cocky, a bit of an asshole, an amazing fighter.”

“I remember bits and pieces,” Jace said as he ate.  “From before.  But, can’t I keep a little of me now with some of me then?”

“I think,” Meliorn said as he sat down next to Jace on the bed, “that your experience in the Seelie Court greatly affected you and it will never truly go away.  But I also think this is not your true self and that the longer you’re away from the Seelie Queen, the more of yourself you’ll recover.”

“So it’s all just a waiting game,” Jace mumbled.

“A bit, yes,” Meliorn replied.  “But Jace, I feel I must tell you this - you were kept from the Seelie Court for the first two years of your stay with the Seelie Queen.  The Queen would let no one see you save for herself and when you finally appeared at her side, you were as you are now. No longer a Shadowhunter, but almost a Seelie yourself.”

“So she changed me,” Jace said as he finished eating his breakfast.

“It would appear so, yes,” Meliorn said.  “I feel you have some very rough times ahead.  But you have family who cares for you and will always be there to help you on your road to recovery.”

Jace let Meliorn’s words sink in and nodded.  “Thank you,” he said.  “Are you one of those that cares for me?”

Meliorn smiled and pressed a soft kiss to Jace’s cheek.  “I did enjoy our visits very much,” he said.  “And I do hope that as the memories of the Seelie Court fade and you begin to recover, that you will treasure our visits and not look back on them with scorn.”

“I could never,” Jace replied.

“And now, I fear Izzy will be here soon,” Meliorn said.  “And she and I have our own issues to work through, so perhaps it’s best if I make my leave.”

Jace nodded again.  “I’ll see you again?” he asked.

Meliorn smiled and nodded as he climbed off the bed and headed for the door.  “You will,” he said.  “I will be sure to come and check on you often, make sure you’re doing okay.”

“Good,” Jace said, sighing softly as Meliorn left him alone.  He glanced at the clothes at the end of the bed, making a face at how plain and utilitarian they were - jeans, plain black t-shirt and boots.  Jace got dressed and wiggled a bit, trying to get used to the feel of the clothes against his skin.

He undid his braid and let his hair fall around his shoulders - a bit of a security blanket - and headed for the living room.

He didn’t have to wait long before the front door opened and Izzy hesitantly stepped inside.

“Jace?” Izzy whispered.

“Isabelle - Izzy,” Jace said, giving her a tentative smile.

“Jace.”  Izzy practically flew across the room and wrapped Jace in a hug.  “We were all so worried and then Alec texted last night to say you were going to stay at Magnus’ and you’re so thin and your hair is so long!”

Jace chuckled softly.  “I apparently look very different,” he said as Izzy finally released him and he sat down on the couch.

“Are you keeping the hair?” Izzy asked.

Jace shrugged.  “I don’t know,” he said.  “The Seelie Queen liked it long.  But I’ve learned I can’t trust my memories of the Seelie Court, so I guess we will see.”

“It’s good to see you,” Izzy said.  “Everyone was worried.  Alec got very testy the longer you were gone, and Clary was worried too.”

“I don’t -” Jace ran fingers through the ends of his hair.  “I don’t remember a lot from before.  I remember Alec, you, Alec’s warlock and that lovely Daylighter, Simon.”

“You don’t remember Clary?” Izzy asked.

“Should I?” Jace replied.

“You met her at the same time you met Simon,” Izzy said as she sat down next to Jace.  “Simon was a mundane at the time, but Clary … “

“I feel like I should let the memories come back naturally,” Jace said.  “I think learning too much at once is just going to impede my recovery.”

“Okay,” Izzy said with a nod.  “Can I brush your hair?”

Jace laughed and nodded.  “There’s a brush in the guest room,” he said.  He waited patiently and was soon rewarded with Izzy gently brushing his hair.  “Tell me more about the Daylighter.  Magnus said we were like oil and water, fighting all the time.”

“You two are very adversarial,” Izzy said.  “Or you were before you left.”

“I see,” Jace murmured.  “He seems quite delightful and lovely.”

“Maybe you were fighting to keep from kissing,” Izzy teased.

“I guess we’ll never know,” Jace replied.

“Are you going to start training?  Getting back in fighting form?” Izzy asked.

“Feel like I’ll need to start back at the beginning,” Jace admitted.  “Learn everything all over.”

“I’ll teach you,” Izzy promised.  “You take as much time as you need and, when you’re ready, I will help you train.”

“Deal,” Jace replied.  “I feel like everyone is expecting me to just suddenly be the way I was before, to be the old Jace.  But I’ve been gone for so long.”

“I know,” Izzy said, pressing a kiss to the top of Jace’s head.  “You had a life changing experience - I don’t expect you to suddenly be the Jace you were seven mundane days ago.  I’m just happy we have you back.”

Jace smiled as Izzy set the brush down and moved to sit back down next to him, curling up against his side.  He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, humming softly.

Jace didn’t know what the future would bring - and that actually terrified him.  He was ‘home’, whatever that meant and if Meliorn was right about what had happened to him in the Seelie Court, he was in for a rough recovery.

* * *

A few nights later, Jace had his first nightmare.

_He was in a dark cell somewhere in the Seelie Court, chained to a table, begging for food, for water, for anything.  And suddenly the Seelie Queen was there at his side, a cool hand on his cheek, a few drops of water to quench his thirst._

_“My beautiful pet,” the Seelie Queen whispered, running a hand through Jace’s hair.  “Just relent and I will let you go.  You’ll sit by my side before the Court.”_

_“At your feet, you mean,” Jace said, struggling against the chains._

_“Treasured pet,” the Seelie Queen said.  “I have plenty of time … you’ll sit at my feet before long.”_

Jace sat up wide awake, gasping for breath.  He fumbled for a light and sat on his bed, knees pulled to his chest as he tried to remember how to breathe.  After a few minutes, he realized he wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep, so he padded to the kitchen to make himself some tea.

He was surprised to find Magnus awake making his own cup of tea.

“Are you alright?” Magnus asked.

Jace shook his head.  “Nightmare,” he whispered.

“I see,” Magnus replied.  “I recently had an experience of my own that caused some unfortunate memories to resurface.  Would you care to talk about it?”

Jace watched as Magnus set his own cup aside and began fixing a second cup of tea.  “I was chained, somewhere in the Seelie Court,” he said softly.  “I was hungry and thirsty and then suddenly, she was there.”

“The Seelie Queen,” Magnus said as he passed Jace a cup of tea.

Jace nodded and padded into the living room to sit on the couch.  “I’m scared,” he admitted, sipping his tea slowly.

“I suspect,” Magnus said as he moved into the living room and sat down next to Jace, “that there will be more nightmares to come as more memories resurface.”

“Great,” Jace muttered.

“You are not alone in this, Jace,” Magnus said.

“I know,” Jace sad as he continued to sip his tea and watched the world outside Magnus’ living room window.  

“Come sit in front of me and we’ll fix your braid,” Magnus said.

Jace smiled and moved to sit on the floor in front of Magnus, humming softly as Magnus redid his braid.  He could sit there all day and be happy, safe in Magnus’ apartment.  

Jace hadn’t left the sanctuary of Magnus’ apartment since he’d returned from the Seelie Court - if he was going to get better, that needed to change.

“Is Alec here?” Jace asked as the sun started to rise over New York.

“No, he had matters to attend to at the Institute,” Magnus said.

“I feel like I’m such a burden,” Jace muttered. “I don’t want to bother anyone, take them away from their own business.  I want to leave this apartment, but I don’t want to go alone, can’t go alone.”

“I would go with you,” Magnus said.  “But -”

“And I won’t bother Izzy,” Jace said.  “And I don’t want to be a bother to you either.  What about that Daylighter?  Simon?  Do you think he would accompany me?”

Magnus smiled and reached over to pat Jace’s arm.  “Why don’t I get in touch with him and we’ll find out,” he said.  “But after breakfast.”

“Could I help?” Jace asked.  “I feel so useless, just sitting around all the time.”

“If you want,” Magnus said as he stood, gathered their cups and headed for the kitchen.  “I was going to make crepes.”

“I can be your assistant,” Jace said as he skipped after Magnus, his braid flying behind him.  “I was the Queen’s favorite helper.”

Magnus gave Jace a fond smile as he began to gather ingredients for crepes.  “I’m sure you were,” he said.

Another memory slammed into Jace and he slid to a stop in the kitchen, gripping the counter tight.

“Another memory?” Magnus asked softly.

Jace took a shuddering breath and nodded.  “More of the room, the chains,” he whispered.

“It will get better,” Magnus said.  “That I promise.  But for now, blueberries or strawberries?”

Jace looked at the bowls of fruit in Magnus’ hands.  “The Seelie Queen loved straw - blueberries,” he said with a firm nod.  “Definitely blueberries.”

“Blueberries it is,” Magnus said with a smile and set about making breakfast.

Jace passed over ingredients as Magnus requested them and happily set the kitchen table for them to enjoy breakfast.  He poured himself and Magnus each a glass of orange juice and sat down just as Magnus set breakfast on the table.

“They smell delicious,” Jace murmured.  “Thank you, Magnus.”

“You are very welcome,” Magnus said.  “I must say, you do have lovely manners.”

“Manners were of utmost importance if you were dining with the Seelie Queen,” Jace said softly as he placed his napkin in his lap and picked up his fork.  “Bad manners meant you didn’t eat.”

“That won’t happen here,” Magnus said.  “Trust me, Alexander sometimes has terrible table manners and I have never made him go without food.”

Jace chuckled a bit as he ate his crepes.  “That is good to know,” he said.

The rest of the breakfast passed is comfortable silence.  When Jace was finally done, he stood and began clearing the table.

“You don’t have to do that,” Magnus said.

“No, I want to,” Jace said.

“Okay,” Magnus replied, “I will get in contact with Simon and see if he can come accompany you out today.”

Jace smiled and nodded, watching Magnus head into the living room before turning his attention to the dishes.

“You’re in luck,” Magnus said, re-entering the kitchen just as Jace was putting the clean dishes away.  “Simon is available and can be here in about twenty minutes.”

“Did he sound put out?” Jace asked as he put the last dish away.

“No in the least,” Magnus said.  “Let me get you some clothes and you can get dressed, okay?”

Jace nodded and headed back to his room.  “Can you …  can the shirt be green?” he asked, almost timidly.

“Of course,” Magnus replied as he followed Jace to the bedroom.  A wave of his hand and the bed suddenly had a green shirt, a matching scarf, a black leather jacket and gloves sitting on it.

“Thanks,” Jace said as he grabbed his jeans, socks and boots from next to his bed.  “Can you do something about my runes?”

“I can do a glamour for you,” Magnus said with a nod.  “Everyone who knows you will see them, but anyone else will see only you - no runes.  Come to the living room after you’re dressed and I’ll do the glamour for you.”

“Thanks,” Jace said, waiting for Magnus to leave before getting changed.

“Simon will be here in a few minutes,” Magnus said when Jace emerged from the guest room.  “Come closer and I’ll do the glamour for you.”

“Thank you,” Jace said, moving into the center of the living room.  He watched Magnus wave his hand and saw blue tinged smoke move towards him and envelop him.

“It should last for twelve hours,” Magnus said as the smoke cleared.  “Plenty of time for you to do whatever you need to do in the city.”

“Mostly I just feel like I need to get outside,” Jace said.  “I won’t … I won’t get any better if I stay cooped up in here.”

The knock on the door startled Jace and he spun around to look at the door.

“It’s just Simon,” Magnus said gently, patting Jace on the arm before going to the door and letting Simon in.

“Simon Lewis, reporting for -” Simon stepped inside and stopped just inside the door, staring at Jace.  “Hey Jace.”

“Hello Simon,” Jace replied.  “Thank you for agreeing to accompany me.”

“No problem,” Simon said with an easy smile.  “Did you have any specific plans?”

“Just a need to get outside,” Jace admitted.  “I won’t recover stuck in here all the time.”

“The runes?” Simon asked.

“A glamour,” Magnus said.  “We see them, but the general public will not.  Also, I took the liberty of getting Jace’s wallet.  There’s cash and a credit card in there so you should be set for whatever you want to do today.”  He took the wallet out of his jacket and passed it to Jace.

“Thank you,” Jace said, shoving the wallet into his back pocket.

“And a key,” Magnus said, passing it to Simon.  “In case I’m not here when you get back.”

“Thanks,” Simon said as he pocketed the key.  “So, Jace, ready to go?”

“If I don’t do it now, I never will,” Jace said, pulling his braid over his shoulder to play with the end.  “Let’s go.”

“Have fun you two,” Magnus said as he ushered them to the front door and practically pushed Simon and Jace into the hallway.

“So, what did you want to do?” Simon asked once they had ridden the elevator down and were standing on the sidewalk.

“Stay far away from Central Park,” Jace answered immediately.  “I think if I were to go there, I’d want -”

“To go back,” Simon finished.  “There’s plenty to do away from Central Park.”

“Actually,” Jace said as they walked down the sidewalk.  “I figure there is one thing I really need to do to jumpstart the road to recovery.”

“Yeah?” Simon asked.  “And what’s that?”

Jace pulled his braid over his shoulder.  “Get rid of this,” he said.  “The Seelie Queen loved my hair; she loved to brush it, braid it, decorate it.  If I want to recover, this has to go.”

“Where do Shadowhunters even go?” Simon asked.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Jace replied with a shrug.  “Where do you go?”

“Where do I go?” Simon said.  “You want to go where I go?”

Jace shrugged again.  “My memories of my life before are muddled,” he said.  “I don’t remember a lot of life before the Seelie Court, things like where I went to get a haircut.”

“Sure, yeah,” Simon said.  “We can go where I go.  Okay to be in enclosed spaces for a bit?  We have to take the subway.”

“I think I’ll manage,” Jace said, but he knew he sounded a little hesitant.

“Bit of a walk, twenty minutes on the subway and then another short walk,” Simon said.  “I think you’ll be fine.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Jace said, rolling his eyes.

“Sarcasm!” Simon said, giving Jace a bright smile.  “Really, you’ll be fine.”

Jace felt his stomach drop a bit when Simon smiled at him.  He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket and followed Simon down the sidewalk, listening to Simon’s attempt at filling the silence.

“You don’t have to talk,” Jace said. “I mean, just to try to make me feel comfortable.”

“My default setting is babble,” Simon said as they made their way to the subway. Simon led the way down the stairs and added some money to his metro card, explaining everything to Jace as he did it.

Jace smiled softly as Simon slowly explained the subway system and how to get past the turnstiles.  Jace waited as Simon went through the turnstile then passed his card back to Jace, helping him get through the turnstile and to the subway platform.

The subway wasn’t too crowded and Jace and Simon quickly found a couple of empty seats settled in for the ride.

“Where are we going?” Jace asked.

“East Village,” Simon said.  “Place I’ve been going to since I was a kid.”

Jace gave Simon a shy smile as they rode the rest of the way in silence.  At the appropriate stop, Simon led the way out of the subway and up to the sidewalk.  Jace kept close to Simon, not wanting to get lost in decidedly unfamiliar territory.

“Wanna grab something to eat after this?” Simon asked as they walked.

“Um, sure,” Jace replied.

“Burgers cool?”

“Burgers,” Jace repeated.  “Sure?”

“I know the best place!” Simon exclaimed as he tossed a bright smile over his shoulder at Jace.

“I bet you do,” Jace replied.  He followed Simon’s lead, navigating between other pedestrians as Simon led the way to their destination.  They rounded a corner and Jace, a few people behind Simon, suddenly couldn’t see him anymore.

“Jace!”  

Simon’s voice came from … below him?  Jace looked around and saw Simon standing at the bottom of a flight of stairs, standing under a sign that said ‘Astor Hair’.

“Down this way,” Simon said.

Jace cautiously made his way down the stairs and stopped next to Simon.

“Here,” Jace said.

“Here,” Simon replied, opening the door for Jace.  “Trust me.”

Jace took a deep breath and stepped inside, blinking as his eyes adjusted to suddenly being inside.  The place was loud; a lot of music, a lot of laughter and a bit of arguing.  Jace hung back as Simon swept past him and greeted the manager with a handshake and a hug.

“Simon! Weren’t you just here a couple of weeks ago?”

“John,” Simon replied.  “Not here for me, here for a friend of mine - first timer.  Is Fifi busy?”

“Nah, he’s coming back from a quick break,” John said.  “Go on back and wait, he’ll be there in a sec.”

“Fifi?” Jace asked as he followed Simon through the barbershop.  “I’m trusting my hair to a man named Fifi?”

“Ah, a bit of the old Jace resurfaces,” Simon said, shooting a smile over his shoulder at Jace.  “His name is Don Fifi and he’s the best.”

Jace stopped when Simon did, eyeing the station and the chair warily.  He knew it was the right thing to do, but a part of his resisted.  The Queen loved his hair long …

“Simon! What are you doing here?”

An older man suddenly appeared and wrapped Simon in a hug.  Italian? Spanish? Jace tried to place the accent as he desperately hoped the man wouldn’t see him.

“Fifi!” Simon said.  “Nah, not here for me today.  We’re here for my friend, Jace.”

Don Fifi turned and Jace found himself under the man’s scrutiny.

“Jace,” Don Fifi said.  “Hand Simon your coat and scarf, come sit and we’ll get you sorted.”

Jace hesitated for a minute, practically clinging to the end of his braid.  At Simon’s reassuring nod, he took off his coat and scarf, passed them to Simon, and hesitantly sat down.  He reluctantly released the hold on his braid as Fifi wrapped the cape around him.

“Can you help him out?” Simon asked.

“Of course!” Fifi said.  “This does not work at all - too much.”

Before Jace could get a word out, there was a flash of a pair of scissors and a few minutes later, his long hair lay on the counter in front of him.

“Shit,” Jace whispered, looking at his reflection and seeing chin length hair falling in his face.

“Progress,” Fifi said as he reached for the spray bottle and began wetting down Jace’s hair.

“Look more like yourself already,” Simon said.

Jace found Simon’s reflection in the mirror and gave him a timid smile.

“You are in transition,” Fifi said as he set the water bottle down and reached for the comb.  “Not who you were, but on the road to who you used to be.  I know just what to do.”

Forty minutes later, after a flurry of comb, scissors, clippers and product, Fifi whisked the cape away and Jace saw himself in the mirror.  He had a brief flash of how he used to wear his hair - longish on top and short sides - and contemplated the cut Fifi had given him. [Shorter on the top and a bit longer on the back and sides than he used to wear it](http://www.bellomag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/BELLO_Dominic_01.jpg) \- it was enough like how he used to wear it to be comforting, but different enough to not be jarring.

“I like it,” Jace said quietly as he stood and took a closer look.

“Of course you do,” Fifi said.  “Simon?  What do you think?”

Jace turned and looked at Simon expectantly.  “Simon?”

“It’s -” Simon coughed and rubbed the back of his neck.  “Good, it’s good.”

Jace felt himself blushing and reached for his coat and scarf.  “Feels weird,” he said.  His fingers brushed Simon’s as he took his coat and scarf back and he almost jumped as he felt a … a spark.

“You’ll get used to it,” Fifi replied.  “It will not stay like that.  You come back, eight weeks.”

“He will,” SImon said.  “I’ll make sure.”

“You will, huh?” Jace asked.

“Yep,” Simon said as he tugged his wallet out of his back pocket and passed some cash over to Fifi.

“I could have gotten that,” Jace murmured - Alec and Izzy had given him a quick lesson about mundane money as he’d completely forgotten how it all worked during his time with the Seelie Queen.

“I know,” Simon replied.  

Jace waited while Simon said goodbye to Fifi and then followed Simon back up to the sidewalk.  He rubbed his neck as he watched Simon for a couple of minutes, watching the sun on Simon’s skin.  When Simon turned and caught him staring, Jace quickly looked down at the ground.

“Um, you mentioned food?” Jace mumbled.

“Right! Food,” Simon said.  “Burgers.  The Famous Cozy Soup ‘n’ Burger place is right across the street.  Best burgers around.”

They made their way across the street and into the bustling diner, quickly finding a couple of places at the counter and grabbing menus.

“Burgers, right?” Jace said as he looked through the menu.

“Right,” Simon said.  “I tend to get the Santorini Burger - it’s got spinach, feta cheese and onions.”

Jace made a face and shook his head as he perused the menu.  “No spinach,” he said.  “Think I’ll just go with a bacon burger.”

“Not a spinach fan?” Simon replied with a smile.

Jace shook his head again as he was assaulted by a flash of memory from the Seelie Court, from the dungeon where the Queen kept him.  “No,” he said softly.

“That’s fine,” Simon said, reaching over to pat Jace on the arm.  “I hated it for a long time, but I tried it recently was pleasantly surprised when it didn’t suck.”

“You can keep the spinach,” Jace said.

“So noted,” Simon replied.  “Want a soda or something?”

“Just water is fine,” Jace said.

When the waitress came over, she immediately began flirting with Jace, who had no idea how to respond.  He was saved by Simon, who took over ordering for the both of them.  When the food arrived they both dug in, eating in companionable silence.  Simon stole a couple of Jace’s fries, and Jace retaliated by snagging Simon’s pickle.

“You’re welcome to my pickle,” Simon said, then blushed bright red.

“Um … thanks,” Jace mumbled, knowing he was blushing too.

“So, anything else you wanted to do?” Simon asked as they finished eating.

“Not really,” Jace said.  The waitress dropped the bill off on the counter, winking at Jace and tapping the top of the bill where she’d written her phone number.

“And you’ve still got it,” Simon muttered.  “The ability to get girls falling at your feet without even trying.”

Jace put some money down and stood up, leaving the check on the counter as he smiled at Simon.

“I gotta figure myself out before I even think about anything else,” Jace said.  “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“Wanna just window shop?  Just wander around for a bit?”

“As long as we stay away from Central Park, sure,” Jace said as the two of them left the restaurant and began to meander through New York.

They spent the rest of the afternoon just wandering around the city, staying clear of Central Park.  They bought snacks from food carts and looked at all the shops, picking things they might buy.

By late afternoon, Jace’d had enough and wanted to go back to Magnus’.  Once in the apartment he kicked off his shoes, shrugged out of his coat and flopped down on the couch.

“I can go if you want to sleep,” Simon said as he set the key on the coffee table.

“Stay?” Jace asked.  “Please?”

“I can stay,” Simon said, moving to sit across from Jace.  “I don’t mind.”

“Thanks,” Jace mumbled as he closed his eyes.  “Don’t wanna be alone … “

“Not going anywhere,” Simon said.

Jace wiggled a bit until he was comfortable, then let himself drift off to sleep.  

When he woke up later, after the sun had set, he was still on the edges of sleep.  He hummed as he felt fingers running through his hair, snuggling closer to the lap his head was resting on.

“Mmmm, ‘s nice,” Jace mumbled.  His eyes flew open when he heard the snap of a camera phone.

“Kodak moment,” Magnus said.  “You two looked so adorable.”

The fingers in his hair had stopped, so Jace sat up and rubbed his eyes a bit sleepily before looking over at … Simon.

“You were having a nightmare,” Simon said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Oh,” Jace said. “Um, thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Simon said.  “Um, I should get going; need to feed and all that.”

Jace rubbed his eyes again as he watched Simon stand.  “Thanks,” he said, “for today.”

“No problem,” Simon said.  “Anytime.”

And with a timid smile, Simon was gone.  Jace groaned and leaned back against the couch.

“You’re looking a bit more yourself,” Magnus said as he sat next to Jace.

Jace ran a hand through his hair, smiling at Magnus.  “It was a reminder of the Seelie Court, and it was holding me back,” he said.

“I think it was the right choice,” Magnus said.  “And the memories?”

“I’m remembering more,” Jace said.  “From the dungeon, and from before.  From before I was in the Seelie Realm.”

“That’s good,” Magnus said.  “Don’t push it, let it come naturally.  But don’t be afraid to ask questions or to talk something out.”

Jace nodded.  “Think I’m just going to go to bed,” he said.  “It was a long day.”

“Off you go, then,” Magnus said.  “I’ll leave the tea out in case the memories wake you up.”

“Thanks,” Jace said.  He stood and rubbed the back of his neck as he made his way to his room.  He’d taken a big step on his road to recovery - but he didn’t think any of the other steps on that long road would get any easier.

* * *

During the next few weeks Jace did tai chi with Magnus, yoga with Izzy and started to re-train with Alec.  All at Magnus’ apartment; he hadn’t yet gotten the courage to go back to the Institute.

But during those days, Simon was also there as an almost comforting presence.  Jace never asked him to be there, but Simon would just randomly show up, always with a smile and a quick joke.

During one such visit, Simon had gone out to the balcony to talk with Izzy while Jace got ready for their yoga session.  When he headed back to the balcony, he could hear Simon and Izzy talking.

“So, how are you and Clary?” Izzy asked.

“We, um, we broke up,” Simon said.

“You did?”

“Yeah,” Simon replied.  “I think we really should have just stayed friends - we’re better that way.”

“You sure that’s all there is?” Izzy asked and Jace could hear the teasing tone in her voice.

“Yes,” Simon said quickly.  “No.  We had a long, long talk about Jace.”

“She knows Jace doesn’t remember her, right?” Izzy said.

That wasn’t exactly true anymore.  More memories had been resurfacing, and Jace had clear memories of Clary Fairchild, as well as some hazy ones of his first meeting with Simon.

“She knows,” Simon replied.  “But she also knows I’ve -”

“Jace!” Alec yelled as he stepped into the apartment.

Thankfully, Jace was not visible from either Alec or Simon and Izzy from where he was standing.  He took a few steps back and let Alec find him.

“I’m about to do some yoga with Izzy,” Jace said when Alec found him.

“I know,” Alec said.  “I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”

“Better,” Jace replied with a nod.

“Good enough to go to the Institute tomorrow?” Alec asked.  “It’s just, people have been asking after you and I was thinking if you felt well enough -”

“Yeah,” Jace said.  “I think it’s time I went back.  I don’t know if I’m ready to start sleeping there again, but …”

“No, no,” Alec said.  “But that’s great.  I’ll let everyone know you’re coming.”  He grinned and gave Jace a tight hug.

Jace hummed and leaned into the hug, feeling their bond thrumming under his skin, could feel how happy Alec was.  “‘m glad you’re happy,” he said softly.  “You deserve happiness.”

“So do you.”  Alec pulled back and looked at Jace.  “You deserve happiness too, Jace.  Whatever form that comes in, I’ll support you.”

“Thank you,” Jace said honestly.  “Magnus is in his - your - room.  I’m going to go do my yoga with Izzy.”

Alec made a face.  “Go have fun with that,” he said.

Jace turned and walked backwards for the balcony.  “It makes me very limber,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.  He bumped into someone and his eyes widened as Alec just stood there laughing, the asshole.  He slowly turned and came face to face with Simon.

“Hey,” Simon said softly.

“Hi,” Jace said, rubbing the back of his neck.  “Um … I’m gonna … go.”

“Get limber,” Simon said as he stepped around Jace and headed for the door.  “Have fun with that.”  He gave Jace a bright smile and a teasing wink before heading out.

“Your crush is showing,” Izzy said when Jace stepped onto the balcony.

“In my memories he seemed more irritating,” Jace said as he stepped on his mat.

“Sexual tension,” Izzy said.  “Like I said, you two were adversarial, but it was probably unresolved sexual tension.  You two bickered so much I started taking bets on when you two would just make out.”

“Izzy!” Jace said.

“We stopped when Simon and Clary hooked up,” Izzy said.  “Although now that they’re  broken up …”

“Oh? They broke up, huh?” Jace said, hoping he sounded surprised.

“Mmmhmm,” Izzy hummed, then let the conversation drop.

Jace sighed - he had enough to worry about without thinking about the fact that Simon was unattached and available.

* * *

The next morning, Jace woke much earlier than necessary.  He rolled over and watched through the window as the sky got lighter and lighter until Jace figured it was time to get up.  He rolled out of bed and grabbed clothes - jeans, boots, green t-shirt, jacket - and got dressed.

When he reached the kitchen, he found Magnus making tea.

“Good morning,” Magnus said.  “Alec asked me to escort you to the Institute.”

“Thanks,” Jace said as he took the mug of tea from Magnus.  “I appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem,” Magnus said as he sipped his tea.  “Izzy and Alec promised to protect you from all the well wishers.”

“I’m going to get mobbed, huh?” Jace said.

“Well, you have been gone from the Institute for a good amount of time,” Magnus said, “and they all know where you were and have some knowledge of what has been happening.”

“Mobbed,” Jace muttered.

“Alec and Izzy will be there for you,” Magnus replied with a smile.  “Finish your tea and then we’ll go.”

Jace nodded and sipped his tea slowly.  For him it had been years since he’d been in the Institute - for everyone else, only a month or so had passed.  He didn’t know how he’d do, but he knew he needed to take this step.  Now that his memories were returning, from before the Court, it was a logical step to take.

The hand on his shoulder made him flinch, almost spilling the rest of his tea.

“It’s just me,” Magnus said, tone soothing.

“Sorry.”

“Lost in thought?” Magnus asked.

“Memories,” Jace replied.  “They’re coming regularly now … flashes, jolts, waves.  She tortured me, Magnus.  Tortured me until I turned into her perfect little pet … I can’t talk about -”

“Nor will anyone force you to,” Magnus said.  “But you have a support system, plenty of people here to help.”

Jace finished his tea and gave Magnus a smile.  “Thank you for the reminder,” he said.  “Guess we’d better get going.”

Magnus smiled and took Jace’s mug, setting it in the sink to wash later.  “It will be fine,” Magnus said.

Jace repeated that to himself from the time they left Magnus’ to the time they stopped outside the Institute.

“We could have portaled,” Jace muttered.

“I knew you’d want the time to prepare yourself,” Magnus said, patting Jace on the shoulder.

“I appreciate it,” Jace said.  He spent a few minutes looking at the doors to the Institute before taking one step, then another, then another until he was inside, staring at all the people milling around.

“Alec thought you’d appreciate another familiar face.”

Jace turned and saw Meliorn approaching him.  He swept Meliorn into a hug and kissed him sweetly.  He broke the kiss a few moments later and gave Meliorn a sweet smile.

“Thanks,” Jace replied.

“You’re very welcome,” Meliorn said, smoothing Jace’s hair.  “You’re ready for this.”

“I am,” Jace said.

“Meliorn.”  Izzy strode through the Institute and stopped at Jace’s side.  “Thank you for coming to support Jace.”

“My pleasure,” Meliorn said.

“Is Simon here?” Jace asked.

“He had vampire business to attend to,” Alec said, leading Jace over to talk to Izzy.  “He said he’d try to stop by when it was done.”

“Oh,” Jace said, his face falling a bit.  He recovered and gave Izzy a smile and a hug.

“He always did wear his heart on his sleeve,” Meliorn whispered to Magnus as they watched.

“Maybe Izzy will start up the pool again.  Willing to take bets on when those two will finally realize?” Magnus replied.

“Nope, I’m just going to sit back and watch,” Meliorn said.

“That means no more kissing,” Magnus said.  “Wouldn’t want the Daylighter to get jealous.”

“Jace and I were never serious,” Meliorn replied.  “And after what the Seelie Queen put him through, he deserves happiness.”

“He does,” Magnus said, looking over to where Izzy and Jace were talking quietly.

Alec appeared next to them, pressing a sweet kiss to Magnus’ cheek and giving Meliorn a cordial nod before re-joining Jace and Izzy.

“Ready?” Alec asked.

Jace swallowed and nodded.  “Ready,” he said.

The next couple of hours were exhausting.  Everyone wanted to know if Jace was feeling better, when he was coming back, did he remember them … On and on it went, Jace greeting his fellow Shadowhunters, trying to answer their questions, desperately trying to remember them so he wouldn’t be lying when he said he remembered them.  There were just so many people.

He’d had a brief encounter with Clary, which had only been slightly awkward.  With the added knowledge that she and Simon had split up, all of Clary’s attention on him had been slightly disconcerting.  He’d calmly explained that he was still trying to come to grips with what had happened to him and that he could use all the friends he could get.  Thankfully, Clary had been more than okay with just being friends.

It was a weight lifted off his shoulders.

“You look like you could use a break,” Alec said, pulling Jace from his thoughts.

“This is harder than I thought,” Jace admitted.

“Well, I know just the person to give you a break.”  Alec turned and looked at the door where Simon stood, looking a bit awkward.

“Simon,” Jace said with a soft sigh.  He crossed the room, nodding at his fellow Shadowhunters as he made his way over to Simon.

“Jace, hey!” Simon said when he saw Jace.  “I finished my business and Magnus and Alec thought you could use a few more familiar faces.”

“I’m glad you came,” Jace said.

“Really?” Simon asked.

“Really,” Jace replied.  “Would you like to go outside for a bit?”

“Need to get away from everyone, huh?” Simon asked.  “Sure, let’s go outside.”

“How about we go up to the roof,” Jace suggested.  “I used to have a spot up there, at least I think i did.”

“It’s still there,” Izzy said.  “Just as you left it.”

“Awesome,” Jace said, giving Izzy a quick hug before turning to Simon.  “So?”

“Um, sure.  Lead on,” Simon said.

As Jace and Simon headed up to the roof, Alec glanced over at his sister and sighed.

“I hate to admit it,” Alec said.  “But being in the Seelie Realm helped Jace to really accept himself.  Although the cost of that acceptance is something he should never have had to pay.”

“Simon will help him,” Izzy said.  “I know he will.”

Up on the roof, Jace led the way to the back of the Institute, where he had created his own secluded area, with a bench and bushes all sorts of flowers.

“What’s all this?” Simon asked, looking around curiously.

“Mine,” Jace said.  “I mean, I created this place long before I … before I left.  It’s always been the place I go to get away from everything, to get some peace.”

“And you brought me here?  Wow.”  Simon moved to the bench and sat down, bouncing on the cushion a bit as he took in the view.

“Um, yeah,” Jace murmured, turning to look at Simon.  “I feel … I feel safe with you.”

“I’m, wow,” Simon said.  “I’m honored.”

Jace moved to sit down next to Simon, taking a few moments to enjoy the view of the city.  He hesitated for a few minutes before shifting a bit and laying down, resting his head in Simon’s lap.

“Wha - woah,” Simon said.

“I remember,” Jace whispered.  “That day I got my hair cut.  I had a nightmare, but you were there.  You were running your fingers through my hair.”

“Oh, right,” Simon mumbled.

“I liked it,” Jace said.  “Would you - would you do it again?”  He held his breath, hoping against hope that Simon wouldn’t say no.  He released the breath and sighed softly when he felt Simon’s fingers in his hair, hesitant at first.

“Your hair’s like, super soft,” Simon whispered.

“Thanks,” Jace whispered back.  “You know, I remember when we first met.”

“You do?” Simon asked.

“Mmmhmm,” Jace hummed.  “I remember, you were just so … loyal.  Not leaving Clary’s side.”

“That’s me, the best friend,” Simon said, still stroking Jace’s hair.

“You were brave,” Jace said softly.

“I was an idiot, putting my foot in my mouth at every turn,” Simon muttered.  “And you tolerated me.”

“Bit your head off,” Jace said.  “Was better than shoving you against a wall and kissing you senseless.  Mundane.”

“Daylighter - wait, what?” Simon said.

Jace sat up and sat so he was facing Simon, blushing a bit.  “You’re loyal, brave, funny,” he said.  “And you could have ignored me when I came back but you didn’t.  I remember the night at the Institute, too.  The bite?  I remember that, too.”

“Oh,” Simon said softly.  “That was … “

“Intense,” Jace said.  “See, everything is coming back, from before.  All my memories, sometimes so fast I almost get sick.”

“Oh,” Simon said again.  “But if you remember, then why did you bring me up here?”

Jace gave Simon a small smile.  “Just a few minutes ago I said I wanted to shove you against a wall and kiss you,” he said.  “And that was before I went to the Seelie Realm.  You have been nothing but kind to me since I came back.”

“You had it hard,” Simon said.

“More than you know,” Jace said.  “There are things I’m still coming to grips with, memories from my time in the Seelie Realm.”

“There’s no rush,” Simon said, frowning a bit at Jace.  “No one’s making you rush the healing process, Jace.”

“I know,” Jace replied.  “But I wanted you to know that I want to try.”

“Want to try what?” Simon asked, his frown deepening.

Jace swallowed and looked down at his hands, suddenly shy.  “Us.  I want to try us.”

“Oh.”  Simon was quiet for a few minutes.  “Yeah.”

Jace almost didn’t hear Simon.  “Wait, yes?” he said.

“Yeah,” Simon replied.

Jace glanced up and saw Simon smiling at him.  “I mean, I still have tons of shit to work through,” he said.  “I’m still getting memories back from the Seelie Realm and they’re not - they’re not pretty at all.  I don’t know when I’m going to be ready for anything -”

“I’m patient,” Simon said. “Okay, mostly patient.  But … I can be patient for you.”

Jace chuckled softly.  “I’m working through it,” he said.  “And I swear I’ll tell you everything.”

“At your own pace,” Simon said.

Jace reached out and hesitantly took Simon’s hands in his.  “I’m gonna suck at this,” he said.  “Seriously, I don’t think I do relationships so well.”

“Maybe before you didn’t,” Simon said.  “But you’re different now.  I mean, I can see the old Jace lurking in there, but you’re … different.  And it’s not bad, swear.  You’re different than you used to be.”

Jace smiled and gave Simon’s hands a squeeze.  “Guess I am,” he said.  “I think, I think I’d like to go out on a date with you.”

“Yeah?” Simon said.  “I think I’d like to go out on a date with you, too.”

“Of course you would,” Jace said.  “I was a catch even before.”

“Ah, the cockiness returns,” Simon replied with a wink.

Jace just shrugged.  “Wanna join me for one of Izzy’s yoga sessions?” he asked, smiling a bit wider.  “Get limber?”

Simon coughed.  “I don’t think I’m much of a yoga person,” he said.

“Too bad, think I’d like to see you in those pants,” Jace replied.

“Yeah, the old Jace is definitely back,” Simon muttered.

“Nah, think of me as new, slightly scarred, but improved,” Jace said.  “The scars aren’t visible, but they’re there.”

“I know,” Simon whispered.  “And I’m not going anywhere.  You can always talk to me.”

“Thank you,” Jace said.  “I think … I think I really need to go back to Magnus’ and get away from everything.”

“Long day?”

“Rough,” Jace murmured.  “Everyone wanted to say hi and welcome me back and it was all very overwhelming.”

“I bet,” Simon said.  “Want me to get Alec or Izzy or Magnus?  I bet Magnus could just portal you back.”

“Would get me there faster than walking,” Jace admitted.

“Let’s go find Magnus, then,” Simon said, standing and offering Jace his hand.

Jace smiled and slipped his hand into Simon’s and gave it a squeeze.  “Yeah, let’s find Magnus,” he said.

* * *

“What do you even wear on a first date?” Jace asked himself, looking at the small stack of clothes he’d accumulated while living with Magnus.

“I could make a few suggestions,” Magnus said from the doorway of the guest room.  “Or I could conjure you something.  But really, you could wear a burlap sack and Simon would still say you looked great.”

Jace blushed and ran a hand through his hair.  He’d actually ventured out on his own and went back to Astor’s to see Fifi to get touched up … he was a little more of the old Jace, but not quite.

“I don’t date,” Jace muttered.  “Or I didn’t date.  Before.”

“But you’re not who you were before,” Magnus said.  “Just dress comfortably.  Be yourself.”

“Yeah, whoever that is.”  Jace grabbed a pair of jeans, boots, a plain black t-shirt and a leather jacket.

“You’ve gotten so much better in the past few weeks,” Magnus said.  “Your nightmares have been dissipating.”

Jace smiled and nodded.  He still had nightmares sometimes, but Magnus or Alec were always there to comfort him and either keep him company or help him go back to sleep.

“I feel a lot better,” Jace said.  “Well enough that I think I can finally tell Simon everything that happened in the Seelie Realm … well, at least most of it.”

“Perhaps best to keep whatever went on between you and Meliorn to yourself,” Magnus said with a grin.  “Simon doesn’t need to know that and I don’t think keeping it from him will hurt anything.”

“True,” Jace said.  “But Simon deserves to know everything else.  He needs to know what he’s getting himself into.  I’m broken, Magnus.”

“Myself, Alexander, Izzy and most importantly Simon would beg to differ,” Magnus said.  “Different, yes.  Broken?  Hardly.  Go on, get changed so you’ll be ready when Simon comes to pick you up.”

Jace watched Magnus leave with a smile before quickly getting changed.  He’d let Simon choose where they’d go for their first date.  He trusted Simon, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t nervous.

When he stepped into the living room, still zipping his jacket, he caught sight of Simon and stopped just inside the living room.  SImon was dressed in slacks and a dark blue button up.

“I feel underdressed,” Jace said, almost flinching when Simon spun around and stared at him.

“N-no, you look great,” Simon said.

“Well of course I look great,” Jace said.  “But clearly I am fashionably underdressed.”

“You’re fine,” Simon said rolling his eyes.  “And I mean that both ways.  The place we’re going is casual so jeans and leather is totally okay.”

Jace laughed.  “Good to know,” he said.

“Here, take a key,” Magnus said, passing a key to Jace.

“Thanks,” Jace said, slipping the key into his pocket.

“Don’t do anything Alexander and I wouldn’t do,” Magnus said as he walked Simon and Jace to the door, laughing at their matching blushes.

Once out in the hallway, Jace turned to Simon.  “I feel like I should apologize for Magnus,” he said.

“Nah, I’ve gotten used to his teasing and bluntness,” Simon said.  “Makes me feel like family when he teases me.”

Jace smiled and took Simon’s hand in his.  “So, where are we going?” he asked.

“Nowhere fancy,” Simon said.  “Just an Italian place I like to go to.”

They walked together from Magnus’ apartment building through the city a short ways to a small restaurant between a flower shop and a corner market.

“Looks cozy,” Jace said.

“It is,” Simon replied.  “I’ve been going here a while.”

Jace kept close to Simon as they stepped into the restaurant, smiling when the hostess and various waiters and waitresses approached and greeted Simon.

“Popular,” Jace teased, then froze when the attention shifted to him.

“Who is this?”

“Simon, are you seeing someone?”

“Thought you were seeing Clary?”

“No, they broke up!”

“He’s hot.”

“Where’s he from?”

“Guys!” Simon said.  “Can Jace and I get a table?”

“Jace, huh?  What kind of name is Jace?”

“I think it’s pretty cool.”

“Who cares what his name is, dude is smokin’ hot.”

“Sorry,” Simon whispered to Jace as they were led back to their table.

“Nah,” Jace said.  “It’s good for my ego.”

“No, it’s bad for your ego,” Simon said, smiling.  “All that ego stroking will give you a big head.”

Jace flushed at Simon’s words as they reached their table and Jace sat down.  “Um, yeah,” he muttered.

Simon’s eyes widened as he realized what he said.  “Oh, um,” he said.  “So, they have authentic italian soda and some really good appetizers and their pasta is amazing and I’m totally rambling I’ll shut up now.”

Jace laughed.  “I like you a bit rambly,” he admitted.  “It’s cute.”

“Oh, that’s … good?  That’s good because I ramble a lot,” Simon said, putting the menu up in front of his face.  

“That’s okay,” Jace said, tugging the menu away from Simon’s face.  “What do you recommend?  Want to get a selection of things and share?”

“That’s a good idea,” Simon said brightly.

They chatted for a bit between ordering and when the food came, and ignored the wink the waitress gave them when she set their plates down.  After they’d split the food and had a few sips of Italian soda, Jace got quiet.

“Simon,” Jace said.  “I wanted to talk to you about what happened to me at the Seelie Court.  If we’re going to try this relationship thing, then you need to know what you’re getting into.”

“I know you had it rough,” Simon said, staring down at his food.

“More than rough,” Jace said, picking at his food a bit.  “The first two years, I was kept in a dungeon below the Court.  They starved me, until I was on the edge, and then the Queen would show up, feed me with her own hands.  She did that again and again until I was dependent on her.  Until she was all I knew.  Then she left me out of the dungeon, cleaned me up, dressed me like one of the other Seelies and paraded me around.”

“Jace,” Simon whispered.

“I was her trophy, her pet,” Jace said.  “But by then I didn’t know any better.”

“Jace.”  Simon reached over and took Jace’s hand.

“And … she would let other Seelies … use me,” Jace whispered.  “As some sort of reward for a successful coup of some kind.”

“You don’t have to tell me all this,” Simon said.

“You deserve to know,” Jace replied.  “How broken I am.”

“You’re not broken,” Simon said, giving Jace’s hand a squeeze.  “You survived.  And you’re not there anymore.  No one is going to let her hurt you again.”

Jace gave Simon a soft smile.  “Knowing all that,” he said.  “Knowing everything that’s happened to me … you still want to do this?”

“Of course I do,” Simon said.  “You might be a bit battle scarred, but hey, scars are sexy, right?”

Jace snorted softly.  “Depends on the scar,” he said.

“Well, I still totally want you - this - want this,” Simon said.

“Good to know,” Jace replied with a grin.

“So, can we go back to our date?” Simon asked, offering Jace a breadstick.

“I’d love to,” Jace said.

“Awesome,” Simon said, throwing the breadstick at Jace.

Jace caught the breadstick easily and took a big bite.  “Good bread,” he said.

Simon laughed as the mood lightened.  They spend the rest of the meal exchanging mock insults and laughing and talking Shadowhunter gossip.

Towards the end of the meal, their waitress brought over one tiramisu - with two forks.

“Angie,” Simon said.  “We didn’t order this.”

Angie grinned and shrugged. “On the house,” she said.  “Enjoy the rest of your date.”  She blew them a kiss and left them alone.

“Never coming back here again,” Simon muttered.

“Sure we are,” Jace said as he grabbed a fork.  “They give you free food.”

Simon laughed and dug into the tiramisu.  “Okay, maybe we’ll come back,” he said.

“We’d better,” Jace said, taking a bite of tiramisu for himself.  “Like I said, free food.”

Simon laughed again and took another bite.  “We’ll come back,” he said.

“I had a lot of fun,” Jace said when the tiramisu was done and the bill settled.

“Not done yet,” Simon said.  “I thought we would go to the park - The Brooklyn Bridge Park, not Central Park - and do some stargazing.”

“Stargazing?  Can’t see much with all the city lights,” Jace said.

“It just so happens that tonight is one of  the nights that the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York set up high-powered telescopes that are free and open to the public,” Simon said.

“What a coincidence,” Jace replied. “Let’s go.”

By the time they got to the park, the sun had set and there were people milling around checking out the telescopes.

“We don’t have to look,” Simon said.  “We can just sit for a bit.”

“I want to look,” Jace replied.

“Let’s go look then,” Simon said, taking Jace’s hang in his and heading for one of the unoccupied telescopes.

Jace was happy to follow Simon through the crowds of people to the telescope.  He watched Simon look through the telescope, fiddling with things a bit.

“What are you doing?” Jace asked.

“Finding the perfect stars to look at,” Simon replied, turning to look at Jace.  “Hey, I just realized - normally mundanes can’t see you, but everyone at the restaurant saw you, and people here see you.  And when we were out before - seeing Fifi and all that - people saw you.  How?”

“Oh,” Jace said.  “There’s a rune.”  Jace lowered the right side of his jeans a bit, showing Simon a rune on his hip/upper thigh area.  “This one makes is so mundanes can see me.”

“Oh,” Simon whispered, licking his lips.  “Uh, that’s good to know.  You have runes there?”

Jace tugged the waistband of his jeans back up and flushed.  “Don’t use it a lot so … “

“It’s in a good spot,” Simon said.  “Very good.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Jace whispered.  “So, um, stars?”

“Right,” Simon said, tugging Jace over to the telescope.  “I made sure to get the best view of Andromeda and Perseus.”

Jace looked through the telescope, a bit in awe at how clearly he could see everything.  “Andromeda was held captive, stripped naked and chained to a rock as a sacrifice,” Jace murmured.  “But Perseus rescued her.”

“Um, yeah I think that’s how it went down,” Simon mumbled.

Jace tore his gaze away from the stars and looked over at Simon.  “You trying to say something with your choice of star viewing?” he asked, his tone teasing.

“N-no,” Simon said.  “It wasn’t intentional, I swear.”

Jace chuckled and pulled Simon close.  “I know,” he said.  “It is kinda apropos.  I sacrificed myself to the Seelie Queen, you saved me.  But make no mistake, I am no damsel.”

“But am I your Perseus?” Simon asked.

“Maybe,” Jace said.  He only hesitated for a moment before leaning in and pressing his lips to Simon’s in a chaste kiss.

“Mmmm, that’s nice,” Simon said when Jace broke the kiss.

“We’ll do that again,” Jace murmured.

“We’d better,” Simon replied.

Jace laughed and nodded, turning his attention back to the telescope.  He could feel Simon behind him and smiled at how … safe he felt.

They spent a bit longer watching the sky through the telescope before they’d both finally had enough star gazing.

“Want to get some gelato?” Simon asked as they left the park, shyly holding Jace’s hand.

Jace glanced down at their clasped hands and grinned.  “Yeah,” he said, “I’d like that.”

“Cool,” Simon said.

They meandered through the city, stopping for gelato as they got closer to Magnus’ apartment, trying not to make too much of a mess as they continued to hold hands while eating.  They managed to stay fairly clean, throwing their trash away just outside Magnus’ building.

“So, I had a really great time,” Simon said.

“You’re not going to come up?” Jace asked.

“I didn’t want to presume,” Simon said.  “First date and all.”

“Come up with me,” Jace said, tugging him into the building and straight to the elevators.

“If you insist.”  Simon followed Jace into the elevator, slipping an arm around Jace’s waist as they rode up to Magnus’ floor in companionable silence.

“Do you want to come in for a bit?” Jace asked as he unlocked the door and let the two of them in.

“Maybe,” Simon said, stopping just inside the door, staring into the living room.

Jace followed Simon’s gaze and watched for a few minutes, smiling softly as he watched Magnus and Alec lazily making out on the couch.

“He was so closed off before,” Jace whispered.  “Before Magnus.  And now he’s so open, so expressive.  It’s beautiful.”

“Um,” Simon said, “yeah, but perhaps let’s not be voyeurs while they make out.”

“Or you two could talk louder and totally break the mood.”  Alec’s voice sounded from the living room, only slightly irritated.

“Sorry, we’re just going to my room,” Jace said, closing the front door and tugging Simon down the hall.  “As you were!”

Simon laughed softly, quickly sobering however, once he and Jace were alone in Jace’s room.

“Simon,” Jace said softly.  “Would you … would you stay here tonight?”

“Here, like Mangus’? Or here like, your room?” Simon asked.

“My room,” Jace whispered.  “I feel safe with you.  You can borrow some pajamas and we can just sleep.  Swear.”

“I think I’d like that,” Simon said.

Jace smiled and moved over to his dresser, rummaging around in a drawer and coming back with sweats and a t-shirt.

“Here,” Jace said.  “You can change in the bathroom.”

“Thanks,” Simon said, taking the clothes and heading to the en suite bathroom.

While Simon was in the bathroom, Jace quickly changed into sweats and a tank top, turned down the bed and turned off all but the light on his nightstand.  Jace heard the bathroom door open and turned to look at Simon, smiling softly.

“You look good in my clothes,” Jace said.

“Uh-huh,” Simon said, grinning as he crossed the room, pressed a kiss to Jace’s cheek and climbed into bed.

Jace felt himself blushing as he crawled into bed and settled next to Simon.

“Can I?” Jace asked hesitantly.

“You a cuddlemonkey?” Simon said, laughing at the face Jace gave him.  “Like to cuddle?  Go for it, dude.”

Jace rolled his eyes, but turned off the light and snuggled against Simon, resting his head on Simon’s chest.  “Thank you,” he whispered.

“No thanks necessary,” Simon whispered, running fingers through Jace’s hair.  “I’ll be right here.  I’ll protect you against the nightmares.”

Jace sighed softly, let himself relax against Simon and began to drift to sleep, knowing that with Simon there, the nightmares would stay away.

* * *

The next few months brought almost a sense of routine and normalcy for Jace.  He started going to the Institute during the day and training with fellow Shadowhunters, but continued to sleep at Magnus’.  He slowly worked his way to doing actual missions, starting simple.

And there by his side every step of the way, was Simon.  He’d practically moved into Magnus’ and shared Jace’s room, keeping the nightmares away.

Everything seemed perfect.

“The Seelie Queen sent us a message,” Alec said after he, Jace, Izzy and Clary’d had lunch.

“Oh?” Jace tried to remain calm and not let a panic attack overtake him.

“Yeah,” Alec said.  “Haven’t read it yet.  Was waiting so we could all read it together.”

Jace nodded, feeling a bit of tension leave his body as he felt Izzy’s hand around his.  “Sure, we can read it,” he said.  He watched as Alec carefully unfolded a thick piece of vellum paper, flinching when there was a soft ‘poof’ and an explosion of glitter.

“Mr. Lightwood, I have some additional pertinent information I wish to share with you,” Alec read.  “I will meet and provide this information on two conditions.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Izzy muttered.

Alec sighed and continued to read.  “We will meet at Belvedere Castle on the day of the next full moon,” he said, “And you, Alexander Lightwood, will bring the Daylighter and my Treasured Pet with you.  Otherwise, there will be no meeting.”

Jace froze, hand clenching Izzy’s hand tightly as he tried to remember to keep breathing.

“No!” Izzy said, patting Jace’s hand soothingly.  “No, we will figure something else out!  We’re not going to put Jace through that!”

“I’m with Izzy,” Clary said.  “We can get whatever information she has somewhere else.”

“N-no,” Jace said, easing his grip on Izzy’s hand.  “No, I’ll go.  I’ll talk to Simon.”

“Jace,” Alec said, “none of us will make you go.  We’ll figure something else out.”

“And how long is that going to take?” Jace asked.  “No, I’ll talk to Simon and we-we’ll go with you and meet with the Seelie Queen.”

“Only if you’re sure,” Alec said.  “We won’t force you to go.”

Jace took a few deep breaths, sighing when he felt Izzy give his hand a reassuring squeeze.  “I’m better now,” he said.  “I can do this.”

Izzy leaned in and pressed a kiss to Jace’s cheek.  “Super brave,” she whispered.  “Go find your boyfriend and let him know.”

Jace rolled his eyes.  “I’ll talk to him later,” he said.  “Let’s go train.”  He needed to take his mind off everything.

“Sure, we’ll go train,” Izzy said.

“We all will,” Alec said.  “Let’s go.”

Jace sighed as they all headed to the training room to train.  He needed to work himself to the point of exhaustion in order to forget what was going to happen.

Hours later, worked to the point of near exhaustion, Jace let himself into Magnus’ apartment, staggering a bit as he dropped his keys on the entryway table.

“Hey, woah dude, what did you do?”  Simon suddenly appeared and helped Jace into the living room and onto the couch.

“Trained,” Jace mumbled, tugging Sumon down to sit next to him.  “Needed to forget.”

“Forget what?” Simon asked, running a hand through Jace’s hair.

“Letter from the Seelie Queen,” Jace said, leaning into Simon’s touch.  “She has information for Alec, but she won’t give it to him unless you and I are there.  Meeting is at Belvedere Castle the day of the next full moon.”

“Jace, that’s next week,” Simon whispered.  “We can’t …”

“We have to,” Jace said softly, leaning over to press a kiss to Simon’s cheek.  “We need the information.  I’m better now.”

“Yeah, tell that to your nightmares,” Simon muttered.

“I need to face her,” Jace said.  “I need to come face to face with her and show her that I’m better.  That she doesn’t have any control over me anymore.  That I’m still me.”

Simon sighed and smiled, leaning over and kissing Jace sweetly.  “Brave man,” he said.

Jace hummed and wrapped his arms around Simon and held him close.  “Izzy called you my boyfriend,” he murmured.

“Boyfriend, huh?  Is that what I am?” Simon said.

“So much more than that,” Jace whispered.

“Ah, you are a romantic!” Simon said, grinning.

Jace rolled his eyes.  “Sometimes,” he said.  “Besides, like you could get someone better than me?”  He winked and nipped at Simon’s jaw.

“Ah, there’s the cocky asshole I know and love.”

Jace froze and pulled back, staring at Simon.  “Love,” he whispered.

“Um … yeah,” Simon said with a shrug.  “Kinda snuck up on me.”

“Nah, I’m just that good,” Jace breathed, pulling Simon in for another kiss.

“Asshole,” Simon said before eagerly returning Jace’s kiss.

“Love you, too,” Jace said when he finally pulled back to catch his breath.

“So we’ll meet with the Seelie Queen, show her that you’re doing awesome, get the information we need, and that will be that,” Simon said.  “We can get on with our lives.”

“Exactly,” Jace said.  “Right now though, I need food and cuddles.”

“I’m down,” Simon said.  “Naked cuddles?”

“We’ll negotiate the cuddling terms after dinner,” Jace said, leaning in and tugging on Simon’s earlobe with his teeth.

“Ugh, asshole!”

* * *

Jace woke the morning of the meeting with the Seelie Queen way before sunrise.  He looked down and smiled Simon, who was wrapped around Jace with his head on Jace’s chest.  He ran a hand down Simon’s arm before carefully extricating himself from Simon’s grasp.  He tugged sleep pants and a t-shirt and padded through the apartment, settling on a chaise on the balcony to watch the sun rise.

“You okay?”

Jace turned to see Simon standing in the doorway to the balcony.  He smiled and motioned for Simon to join him.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Jace said.

“Hey,” Simon said as he sat down and curled up against Jace.  “Alec is going to be there and I am going to be there.  You are going to be fine.  We won’t let her hurt you.”

“Oh, I won’t let her hurt me,” Jace said.  “Been there, done that.  But I’m finally at a point where I feel like myself, where I’ve moved past what happened to me there.”

“And you don’t want a relapse,” Simon said.

“Right,” Jace murmured.

“I won’t let that happen,” Simon said.  “I promise.  We are going to go there, you’re going to show the Seelie Queen that you are well and happy and don’t give a fuck about her and we’ll be done.”

Jace turned and gave Simon a soft kiss.  “How you do you know just what to say?”

“It’s a gift,” Simon said with a nod.  “Come on, let’s go back inside.  You can shower and I’ll make us breakfast.  Alec slept here last night so we’re all going to go together in a bit.”

Jace nodded and gave Simon one more kiss before getting off the chaise and going inside to get ready.  When he’d finished showering and getting dressed, he padded into the kitchen and found Simon, Alec and Magnus all gathered in the kitchen eating breakfast.

“Good morning,” Simon said, passing Jace a plate of food.

“Morning,” Jace said.

“Didn’t sleep well?” Alec asked.

“Not at all, really,” Jace admitted.

“Not even with that lovely creature sharing your bed?”  Magnus passed Jace a cup of coffee, winking playfully.

“Too nervous,” Jace mumbled, but gave Simon a sweet smile.  He sipped the coffee, set the plate down on the counter and started to dig in.

“It’s going to be fine,” Alec said.  “Promise.”

“That’s what I said.”  Simon cleaned up and moved to stand next to Jace, pressing a quick kiss to Jace’s cheek.  “It’s going to be fine.”

“Just keep telling me that,” Jace said as ate a bit more food.

“We will,” Alec said.

“Now make sure you clean your plate, you have an eventful day,” Magnus said, tone teasing.

Jace just rolled his eyes, but did finish his breakfast. He cleaned his plate, rinsed his cup and went back out to the balcony where he sat.

And waited.

Simon joined him out on the balcony, and they cuddled in companionable silence until Alec finally got them for the meeting.

“It’s time.”  Alec stood in the doorway between the apartment and the balcony.  “We won’t stay long and we’ll be back before you know it.”

“Hopefully,” Jace said as he stood and stretched.

The trip to Central Park was quiet, Alec and Simon on either side of Jace the whole trip, like a buffer.

The closer they got to Belvedere Castle, the closer Simon got to Jace.  By the time they actually reached the castle, Simon had an arm around Jace’s waist and was holding one of Jace’s hands in his free hand.

Alec led the way around the castle, eyeing all the mundanes warily as they kept on the lookout for the Seelie Queen.

“Ah, Mr. Lightwood.”

Everyone turned to see a slightly older Seelie Queen standing near the wall of the castle; no longer childlike, she appeared more like a young college student.

“Your Majesty,” Alec said.

“And you brought the Daylighter,” the Seelie Queen said.  “But who is this?  Surely not my treasured pet.”

“No,” Jace said.  “No longer your treasured pet.  I am Jace Herondale, Shadowhunter.”

“You will always be my favorite pet,” the Seelie Queen said with a small pout.

“No,” Jace repeated.  “Your favorite pet is long gone.  I will never again sit at your feet, eat from your hand, do your bidding or allow you to pass me around like some prize.”

“We kept our side of the bargain,” Alec said.  “Now you keep yours.”

“Oh very well.”  The Seelie Queen waved her hand and a sheaf of papers appeared in her hand, which she dutifully passed over to Alec.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”  Alec tucked the papers into his coat and gave the Seelie Queen a short bow.  “Our business is completed.”

Jace stared for a moment at the Seelie Queen.  “I do hope you find happiness, Your Majesty,” he said finally.  

The Seelie Queen hesitated for a moment, before smiling softly.  “As do I, pet,” she said, “happiness like you have apparently found with that Daylighter.”

Jace hugged Simon to him, almost protectively.

The Seelie Queen disappeared suddenly in a puff of glitter, her laughter echoing around the three men.

“That wasn’t creepy at all,” Simon muttered.

“We did it,” Jace whispered.

“You did it,” Alec said.  “I’m going to take this over to the Institute so we can start going over it.  You two can go back to Magnus’.”

“You sure?” Jace said.

“Yeah,” Alec replied.  “I’ll text Magnus to let him know you two are on your way back.”

“Thanks,” Jace said, releasing Simon long enough to give Alec a quick hug.

“You did so good,” Simon whispered once Jace was back at his side and they were on their way back to Magnus’.  

“You were there,” Jace whispered back.

“Nowhere else I’d be.”  Simon lifted their clasped hands and kissed Jace’s hand sweetly.  “I’m proud of you, Jace.  You stood up to her and didn’t even flinch.  You did so good, baby.”

“Baby?” Jace stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and looked at Simon.

“Too much? I don’t know, it felt right, but was it wrong?”

Jace shook his head and chuckled for a moment before pulling Simon in for a kiss that started sweet and ended on the verge of public indecency.

“Woah.”  Simon pulled back and ran fingers across his lips.  “That was awesome.”

“Not too much?” Jace asked.

“Nope,” Simon replied, shaking his head.  “Not too much at all.  Feel free to do more.”

“Well, not out here,” Jace said.

“Well no shit, not out here,” Simon said.  “I don’t want to get arrested.”

“Why don’t we go back to Magnus’,” Jace suggested.

“And if Magnus is there?” Simon asked.

Jace held up a finger and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, tapping the screen a few times before tucking the phone between his shoulder and his ear.  “Magnus,” he said.  “Yeah, everything went find.”  A pause.  “No, Alec took what the Seelie Queen gave him to the Institute to be analyzed and Simon and I are headed back.  Are you there now?”  Another pause.  “Can you do me a favour?  Can you put a soundproof ward around my room?”

“Jace!” Simon said, covering his face with his hands.

“I’ll tell him,” Jace said, laughing.  “We’ll be there in about thirty minutes.”  He hung up, tucked the phone back in his pocket and grinned.  “Magnus told us to have fun.”

“I’ll never be able to look him in the eye ever again,” Simon said.

“Sure you will,” Jace replied.

“Nope.  Never again.”

Jace laughed again and shook his head.  “Come on, let’s get back to Magnus’ and celebrate.”

“And by celebrate, you mean -”

“Yes.”  Jace slipped his hand into Simon’s and gave it a squeeze.  “That’s exactly what I mean.”

“Okay,” Simon said.  “Lead on.”

During the trip back to Magnus’, Jace could feel the sexual tension between him and Simon growing, until he was sure every mundane around them knew they were moments away from committing an act of public indecency.  The knowledge that Jace was actually free - had stood up to the Seelie Queen and come away unscathed - had released something.  A weight from his shoulders had lifted and he felt like his whole life was ahead of him.

Jace waited until they were right outside the apartment before finally giving in and pushing Simon against the wall and kissing him, allowing his hands to slip under Simon’s shirt.  He gave Simon’s bottom lip a little tug with his teeth as he broke the kiss.

“Stop? Why stop?  Keep going.”  Simon reached to pull Jace back in.

“Not in the hallway,” Jace said, taking a moment to unlock the front door.  He pulled Simon in behind him and slammed the door shut.  “Otherwise I was going to burst.”

“I might burst now,” Simon muttered.

“Not yet,” Jace said as he pulled Simon down the hallway to his room.

Simon winced as his elbow hit the door jamb on their way into the room.

“Sorry, sorry,” Jace said, releasing Simon’s hand.  He tugged his boots off and tossed them into the corner before removing his coat and tossing it on top of the boots.

“What, no strip tease?” Simon asked as he removed his sneakers and tossed them next to Jace’s.

“Next time,” Jace said, helping Simon out of his coat and tossing it aside.

“Good to know, I have some great music ideas,” Simon replied, pulling Jace in for a kiss.

Jace laughed against Simon’s lips, eagerly returning the kiss for a few minutes before pulling back and tugging his shirt off.  “Less clothes,” Jace mumbled.

“Guh.”  Simon reached out and ran his fingers over one of Jace’s runes.  “Unfair.”

“Huh?” Jace reached over and tugged at the hem of Simon’s shirt.

Simon obliged and lifted his arms so Jace could strip him of his shirt.  “That,” he said, pointing at Jace’s abs.  “Unfair.”

“You,” Jace said, leaning in and pressed a kiss to Simon’s bared shoulder, “have nothing to complain about.”

“Unf.”

“Eloquent,” Jace said.  He went over to the bed and tossed some of the pillows on the floor and took a moment to turn the bed down before tugging his socks off and tossing them into the pile with his jacket, shirt and boots.  He reached for the button on his jeans and hesitated.

“Second thoughts?” Simon asked as he closed the space between them and gave Jace a smile.  “If you are, that’s okay.”

“No, no second thoughts,” Jace replied as he undid the button, lowered the zipper and shimmied out of his jeans.

“Good,” Simon said as he tried to get his socks off, almost falling over in the process.

“Shouldn’t have becoming a vampire helped with your coordination?” Jace teased.

“Hardee har har,” Simon said as he stripped out of his jeans.  He tossed them over with the rest of his clothes and turned to look at Jace.  “You are so beautiful.”

Jace ducked his head and bit his lip- everyone told him he was beautiful.  It was what all the Seelies would say.

“... and smart, and brave, and loyal,” Simon continued.

“Yeah?” Jace asked.

“Yeah,” Simon replied.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Jace said.  

“Asshole,” Simon said, giving Jace a shove.

Jace allowed the shove to knock him back onto the bed.  He scooted back a bit and wiggled out of his underwear, tossing them with the rest of his clothes.  “You’re kind, caring, loyal, funny … I could go on,” Jace whispered.

“No,” Simon said, running fingers over his lips as he stared at Jace.  “No, no need to go on.”

“Good,” Jace said.  “Simon.”

“Huh.”

“Join me, please?” Jace asked.

“Yeah,” Simon said, then blinked and shook his head.  “Coming.”  He tugged his underwear off and tossed them aside, climbing into bed with Jace.

Jace pulled Simon up so they were face to face. “Not yet,” he said.

“Punny,” Simon said.

“Sometimes I am,” Jace replied, humming when he felt Simon’s fingers on his skin.

“Did these hurt?” Simon asked as he traced Jace’s runes with his fingers.

“A bit when I first got them,” Jace admitted softly.

“And now?” Simon asked, letting his hands roam over Jace’s skin.

Jace shook his head.  “No,” he murmured.  “They don’t hurt.”

“And they all mean something different?” Simon asked.  At Jace’s nod, Simon smiled softly.  “There’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while.”

“Oh?” Jace asked, reaching up to card his fingers through Simon’s hair.

“Mmmhmm,” Simon hummed.  He pressed a sweet kiss to Jace’s cheek before shimmying down a bit and -

Jace groaned when he felt Simon’s tongue on his skin, right where he knew one of his runes was.  He felt Simon’s tongue tracing the rune and whimpered.

“You have so many,” Simon said.  “Don’t know if I’ll get to them all tonight.”  He moved down slightly and traced another one of Jace’s runes with his tongue, humming softly.

Jace whimpered again under Simon’s tongue.  “Simon,” he whispered as he felt Simon move from one rune to the next, tracing each one reverently with his tongue.  He couldn’t remember ever feeling so … cherished.  Simon took his time, mixings hands, lips and tongue - fingers tweaking a nipple, tongue to a rune - teasing, tormenting.

“God Jace, I have wanted to do this for so long,” Simon breathed, sucking a spot on Jace’s hip.

“Could be doing more,” Jace said, a bit breathlessly.

“More?  You want more?” Simon asked.

“Yes,” Jace said.  “I want you.  In me.”  He fought to keep from blushing, but he knew he was pink all over.

“Yea … wait, what?” Simon stopped what he’d been doing and looked up at Jace.  “Me.”

“You,” Jace said.

“I would have thought - not that I don’t want, I totally want and if you want that, yay, go team, we’ll go,” Simon said.  “Sorry.”  He leaned up and kissed Jace sweetly.

“You really could just keep going now that you don’t have to breathe,” Jace replied with a small smile.  He wrapped his arms around Simon and pulled him closer, allowing his hands to drift up and down Simon’s back.

“I could,” Simon agreed.  “Guess you’ll just have to stick around and stop me.”

“Such a burden,” Jace said with a soft chuckle.  His hands drifted lower and he gave Simon’s ass a playful squeeze.

“That’s -” Simon gasped.  “That’s me.”  He wiggled out of Jace’s grasp and shifted back so he was sitting between Jace’s knees, nudging Jace’s knees apart a bit.

Jace hummed and spread his legs, pulling his knees to his chest.  “I want this, Simon,” he said.

“Fuck,” Simon whispered.

“If you’d get a move on,” Jace replied. “That’s exactly what we’d be doing.”  He grinned as he watched Simon fumble for the bottle of lube that _someone_ had thoughtfully placed on the nightstand table.  At the first hesitant touch of Simon’s finger near his ass, he hummed and waited.  First lube, then one finger - stretch - then more lube, two fingers - more stretch - slight burn.

“Is that - is that okay?” Simon asked softly.

“More than,” Jace replied.  “Feels so good, Simon.”

“Good,” Simon whispered.  “Good … you should always feel good.”

Jace gave Simon a loving smile.  “With you I do,” he said.

“Such a romantic,” Simon replied as he added a third finger.

Jace clenched his hands in the bed sheets.  “Don’t go spreading it around,” he gasped, arching into Simon’s fingers.

“Our secret,” Simon replied.

Jace whimpered softly as Simon’s fingers left him, feeling oddly empty until he felt the tip of Simon’s cock pushing into him.

“Fuck,” Jace gasped.

“Trying to,” Simon said.

Jace started to laugh, but the feel of Simon’s cock pushing into him made his gasp.  He pulled his knees tighter to his chest, felt Simon continue to push until …

“Still with me?” Simon panted.

Jace felt Simon’s fingers rubbing gentle circles on his hip and hummed, nodding.  “Yep, still here,” he said.  

“Good?” Simon asked.  “Can I, I mean I wanted to -”

“Shhh,” Jace whispered.  “Go for it, ‘m good to go.”  He wrapped a hand around his cock, starting to stroke it slow and languid as he waited for Simon to start moving.  Soon he was rewarded with a small thrust from Simon that made him gasp.  The first thrust led to a second, then to a third and soon Jace was stroking his cock in rhythm with Simon’s thrusts.

It didn’t take either one of them long to come, Simon collapsing on top of Jace with a soft ‘oof’.

Jace dropped his legs back onto the bed and rested a hand on Simon’s back, tracing random runes into Simon’s skin with his finger and wiggling a bit when he felt Simon slip out of him.

“Simon,” Jace mumbled.

“Hmmm?” Simon hummed and lifted his head, blinking blearily at Jace.

“Was thinking of finding a place of my own,” Jace said.  “But I might need a roommate.  Know anyone who’d be interested?”

“Think I might know someone,” Simon replied, pressing a kiss to Jace’s cheek.

“Thought you might.”  Jace hummed and let his head drop back against the pillow, smiling when he felt Simon’s head on his chest.  “Wake me in an hour or so for lunch.”

“And round two.”

“I’ve created a monster,” Jace said.

“You love it,” Simon mumbled.

“Yeah,” Jace replied, pressing a sweet kiss to Simon’s hair.  “I really do.”


End file.
